Machine for grooving tap-blanks.



No. 7|7,l87. Patented Dec. 30, |902. 'F N. GARDNER.A MACHINE FUR lGRVING TAP BLANKS.

(Application led July 1, 1901.)

4 Sheets-Sheet l.

(No Model.)

5106112219 edeiaf" WJlIblwcgJ No. 7i7,l87. Patented Decn30, |902. F. N. GARDNER.

MACHINE FOR GRODVING TAP BLANKS.

(Application led July 1, 1901.) (No Model.) 4 Shower-Sheet 2.

4 Sheets-Sheet 3.

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Tm; Nonms verras ca. Pum'ouwo w/su No. 7|7,|87. Patented Dec. 30, |902.

` F.'N. GARDNER. MACHINE FOR GBUUVING TAP BLAMKS.

` (Application med .miy 1, 1901.)

4 Sheets-Sheet 4,

(lo lodel.)

UNTTnn STATES 'PATENT OFFICE'.`

FREDERICK N. GARDNER, OF BELOIT, WISCONSIN, ASSIGNOR TO CHARLES H. BESLY, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

MACHINE FOR GROOVING TAP-BLANKS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 717,187, dated December 3Q, 1902. nppiicanou niet July 1, 1901. sam No. 66.654. 11@ man.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, FREDERICK N. GARD- NER, of Beloit, in the county of Rock and State of Wisconsin, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Machines for Grooving Tap-Blanks;V and I do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description thereof, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, and to the letters of 1o reference marked thereon, which form a part of this specification.

This invention relates to a novel machine for manufacturing blanks for screw-taps of that class provided with a plurality of symmetrically and longitudinally disposed ribs or lands separated by a like number of clearance-grooves, said ribs or lands being adapted to be provided on their outer faces with cutting-teeth.

The invention consists in the matters hereinafter described, and pointed out in the appended claims. i

In the accompanying drawings, illustrating myinvention, Figure l is a side view of amachine embodying my invention. Fig. 2 is a top or plan view of the said machine. Fig.

3 is an end view of the machine. Fig. 4 is a detail longitudinal section through the working parts of the machine. Fig. 5 is a sectional 3o elevation illustrating the dies for guiding the blank, taken on line 5 5 of Fig. l. Fig. 6 is a sectional elevation showing the clamp for holding the blank, taken on line 6 6 of Fig. 4.

Fig. 7 is a face view of the supporting means for the sWaging-rollers of the machine. Fig.

8 is a sectional view of the same, taken on line S S of Fig. 7.v Fig. 9 is a detail View `showing in side elevation twoof the swagingrollers with a partly-completed blank in position between the same. Fig. 10 is an enlarged sectional view through the blank,illnstrating the position of the swaging-rollers with respect theretoin the operation of forming the blank.

The machine herein shown as embodying my invention embraces as its general operative features a reciprocating blank-holder, (indicated as awhole hy.I,) a plurality of stationary rotative grooving-rollers B B B, which 5o are supported -in a holder, (indicated as a whole by C,) and a longitudinally-movable guide for the blank, (indicated as a Whole by K.) The reciprocating blank holder acts when advanced to thrust the blank held therein through orbetween the grooving-rolls, which are arranged radially with respect to the blank, and the guide is adapted to be moved close to the rollers to guide or center the blank as it enters between the same and to be retracted from said rollers with the blankin therearward movementof the blankholder.

As shown in said drawings, E indicatesthe frame of the machine,which, as herein shown, consists of a single casting, onwhich the several operative partsare mounted. VSaidlrame is provided at one end witharigid transverse supporting-plate E', which rises above the level of the top of the frame and is rigidly supported by vertical stifEening-ribs c e'.

tached to the inner face of the standard E is the roller-holder C, in which is supported the grooving-rollers B B, said holder `being generally of annular or circular form.

Said

holder consists generally of an exterior ring C', a circular plate C2, which is attached rigidly to the inner face of the supporting-plate l', which has an annular seat for said ring on its outer margin and which'is provided with four radial passages, in which are located fonr radially-arranged supporting-bars B', in the inner ends of which the groovingrollers B are mounted.

The said roller-holder is also provided with a face-plate Cif, which is secured to the faceof the plate C' and which serves to hold in the said radial guide-grooves the several supporting-bars B.

The plates C2 C3 are provided with central t openings, through which the blanks are inserted when thrust toward the grooving-rollers B.

To afof the frame.

Attached to said shaft beroo tween the parts E2 of the frame is an eccentric F', and secured in the end of said shaft outside of the frame at one side thereof is a gear-wheel G, which inter-meshes with a gearpinion H, mounted on a counter-shaft H', which counter-shaft is mounted in bearings h h on the end of the frame and is provided with a belt-pulley H2, by'which motion is given to the operative parts of the machine.

On the frame E between the shaft G and the grooving-rollers is located a horizontallysliding bed or carriage I, the same being, as herein shown, engaged at its side edges with longitudinal guide-grooves c' e', formed at either side of the top plate of the frame. Said carriageI is provided adjacent to the shaft F with a yoke I', which extends around said shaft and is provided at either side of the eccentric F' with two antifriction-rollers it', arranged to have contact with the diametrically opposite sides of said eccentric, said rollers it' being located at the same horizontal plane with the axis of the shaft F. The yoke I' is supported beneath the shaft by means of an antifriction-roller i', mounted in a bracket i2, attached to the base A below the said shaft.

The carriage I serves as a support for the blank-holder, which is carried or moved by said carriage and is made adjustable thereon. Said blank-holder consists of a body or casting J, (shown more clearly in Fig. 6,) which is secured to the carriage I by means of transverse grooves in the contact-faces by bolts The blank-holder is provided with a clamping jaw or diej', inserted in a recess in the lower part thereof and provided in its upper face .with a V-shaped notch. Said holder is provided with an overhanging rigid varm J', which projects over the said diej' and is provided with a clamping-screw J2, which acts in opposition to the V-shaped notch in the die and serves, in connection with the die, to clamp or hold the end of the blank to be operated upon. The clam ping-die j' is made removable from the body of the holder in order to provide for holding blanks of different sizes or diameters, the dies used hav-4 ing V-shaped notches of varying sizes to correspond with the difference in the sizes of blanks to be used in or operated upon by the machine.

In the operation of the machine embracing the parts above described the carriage is given movement through the action of the eccentric F', so as to carry the blank (indicated by projections, said ribs extended outwardly beyond the original cylindric surface of the blank.

ln addition to the features above referred to the machine illustrated includes a longitudinally movable centering guide, indicated as a whole by K, which serves to center or accurately hold in position the blank with respect to the grooving-rollers, so as to insure that the finished blank shall be symmetrically formed, or, in other words, that the grooves and ribs shall be uniformly disposed around the central axisof the blank and equidistant from such central axis. The said guide is movable on the frame between the blank-holder and the grooving-rollers in a direction lengthwise of the blank, so that it may be advanced to a point adjacent to the grooving-rollers when the blank is being advanced toward and between the same and may be retracted with the blank after the rollers have acted on the blank. Such backward movement of the centering-guide with the blank is necessary by .reason of the fact that the guide is adapted to engage the original cylindric surface of the blank, and said blank cannot pass backwardly through the guide after the ribs have been formed thereon by the action of the rollers. Said guide, as shown more clearly in Figs. 4 and 5, embraces a lower or base portion K' and an upper part or cap K2, which is hinged to the lower or base portion, being preferably connected thereto by means of a pivot-pin la, 1ocated at one side of the guide. Said centering-guide is provided with four radially-arranged centering-guide bars 7o' lo' k2 k2, the lower ones, 7c' k', of which are inserted in recesses formed in the lower part or base K'of the guides, and the upper ones, k2 7a2, of Awhich are inserted and securedin a block K3, fitted in a recess in the upper portion or cap K2 of theguide. The lower part or base K2 and the block K3 are provided with opposing recesses forminga central aperture into which the ends of the guide-bars la' 7c' project and through which the blank passes as it approaches the grooving-rollers. Provision is made for locking the cap K2 ofthe centering-guide against the lower portion thereof, the same being herein shown as consisting of a latch 7c3, hinged to the lower part or base and having a hooked end engaging the adjacent eXtremity of the cap K2.` The centering-guide bars are shown as secured in place in the base and in the cap-block K3 by means of set-screws or in any other suitable manner. Manifestly the centering-guide bars may be adapted for larger or smaller blanks by adjusting them radially in the base K2 and block KS, said bars being secured by set-screws in radial slots in said base and block to afford such adjustment.

The guide K is arranged to slide on the Ina-v chine-frarne, and for this purpose the lower part or base K2 thereof is shown as provided IOO IlO

IZO

with lateral anges 7a4 la, which engage the guide-grooves c e in the top plate of the frame in which the carriage I also slides. In order to give an extended longitudinal bearing of the centering-guide on the frame of the machine, the carriage I is undercut at its forward end, and the base K of the guide is extended lengthwise of the machine a considerable distance beneath the undercut end of the carriage, so that 'the extremity of the carriage carrying the work-holder J projects over or overhangs the rearward -extending parts of the base of said guide when the guide is adjacent to the blank-holder. For the purpose of giving motion to the centering-guide on the machine -frame a rockshaft Lis mounted transversely in the machine-frame beneath the said centering-guide, and said rock-shaft is provided with an upwardlyextending arm L', the upper end of which engages a depending lug K4 on `the said guide. Provision is made for actuating said shaft L, consisting of a horizontallyarranged arm Z, connected by means of a link Z with a foot-lever L2, which, as is shown in Fig. 1, is mounted on the side face of the frame. A weight L3 is attached to an arm Z2 on the said shaft L and is so arranged that its gravity tends to throw the arm L rearwardly, and thereby maintain the guide K normally at the rearward or backward limit of its movement. In the operation of these parts the foot-lever L2 is depressed and the `guide K thrown forward to a point adjacent to the grooving-rollers preparatory to the advance movement of the* blank toward said grooving-rollers. To facilitate the Vintroduction of the blank into the machine, the upper part or cap ot' the guide will be opened at the time the blank is inserted into the holder and clamped therein, the guide being at this time held in place adjacent to the grooving-rollers and in position to engage the outer or free end of the blank by keeping the foot pressed on the foot-lever L2. As said carriage I advances and forces the blank forward between the grooving-rollers, the advanced or end portion of the blank will be held rigidly in central position with respect to the grooving-rolls so long as the forward movement of the blank continues. When the grooves have been formed and the blank begins its backward movement, the foot-lever L2 will be released, and the guide will then move backward with the blank as the carriage I is retracted. This movement is obviously necessary, for the reason that after the blank has been subjected to the action of the grooving-rollers the raised ribs or lands thereon will no longer pass through the centeringguide. After the blank has been retracted the cap will then be opened and the blank removed from within the same and from the holder J.

The construction described in the supporting devices for the grooving-rollers (shown more clearly in Figs. 7 and 8) manifestly provides for radial adjustment ofsaidgrooving-rollers in accordance with the size of the blank employed. Said adjustment is manifestly effected through the turning of the adjusting-screws b b, which act on thel outer ends of the roller-carrying bars B B', and

which when adjusted serve to thrust said bars inward or permit their outward movement, as required for proper adjustment `of the same.

An important advantage gained by the use of the machine described, embracing grooving-rollers for forming longitudinal grooves, as hereinbefore set forth, is that the action of said rollers, as the blank is forced or thrust between them, is to shift or move vthe metal of the blank to some extent endwise or toward the inner part or base of the grooved portion of the blank. This affords an iinportant practical advantage in the construction of the blank, for the reason that the nished screw-tap is tapered either at its outer end only or throughout the length of the grooved portion thereof and is smaller at its outer end or extremity than at the inner end of said grooves. The rollers acting as described therefore operate to give an additional quantity of metal at the inner end ofv the grooved part of the blank, where the same is required, thereby producing a blank which is better adapted for the forming of a iinished tap than in cases where the blankis formed by the action of radially or laterally operating dies, such as have heretofore been` used for the purpose of making longitudinal grooves in such blanks. j

So far as the general result sought to be obtained by the machine is concerned it is obvious that the same effect will be produced if the blank be immovable and the grooving- IOO rollers movable as is obtained by the construction illustrated, and it follows that in its broader aspect my invention includes a construction embracing a blank-holder and a plurality of grooving-rollers, wherein either the blank-holder or the rollers, or both, are movable in a direction longitudinally of the blank in a manner to produce the proper or desired action of the grooving-rollers u pon the blank.

I claim as my inventionl 1. A machine for grooving tap-blanks comprisin g two main operative elements,`namely, a roller-holder carrying a plurality of freelyrotative grooving-rollers and a blank-holder,

IIO

said ele ments having reciprocating movement l one with respect to the other in a direction endwise of the blank, whereby the blank may be forced endwise between said grooving-rollers and withdrawn therefrom.

2. A machine for grooving tap-blankscom` IZS freely-rotative grooving-rollers arranged in f radial planes and a blank-holder having reciprocatory movement toward and from said grooving-rollers.

3. A machine for grooving tap-blanks comprising a plurality of freely-rotative grooving-rollers arranged in radial planes, a blankholder which has reciprocatory movement toward and from said grooving-rollers in a direction endwise of the blank, and a movable centering-guide for the blank located between the holder and grooving-rollers and which is movable in a direction endwise of the blank.

v4. A machine for grooving tap-blanks comprising two main operative elements, namely, a pluralityr of freely-rotative grooving-rollers and a blank-holder, said elements being movable one with respect to the other in a direction endwise of the blank7 whereby the blank may be forced endwise between said grooving-rollers, and a movable centering-guide for the blank located between the holder and rollers and independently movable with respect to the movable element.

5. A machine for grooving tap-blanks comprising a main frame, a roller-holder mounted on said frame, radially-adjustable roller-supporting bars mounted in said holder, freelyrotative grooving-rolls mounted in said supporting-bars, a reciprocating carriage, and a blank-holder secured to said carriage.

6. A machine for grooving tap-blanks comprising a frame, a roller-holder mounted on said standard and carrying a plurality of grooving-rollers, a reciprocating carriage provided with transverse grooves, a blank-holder having interlocking engagement with the grooves of the carriage, and means for giving reciprocatory motion to said carriage.

'7. A machine for grooving tap-blanks comprising a main frame, a plurality of freelyrotative grooving-rollers mounted thereon, a reciprocating carriage mounted to slide on the frame, a blank-holder attached to said carriage, and means for actuating the carriage comprising a rotative shaft provided with an eccentric and a yoke rigidly connected with the carriage and engaging opposite sides of the eccentric.

8. A machine forgrooving tap-blanks comprisinga machine-frame, a plurality of freelyrotative grooving-rollers, a blank-holder, a shaft provided with an eccentric, a carriage having sliding engagement with said frame and provided with a yoke adapted to engage the eccentric at opposite sides thereof and a supporting-roller on the frame adapted to engage said yoke.

9. A machine for grooving tap-blanks comprising a frame, a plurality of grooving-rollers mounted on said frame, a reciprocating carriage adapted to slide on the frame and provided with a blank-holder and a guide mounted to slide on the frame between the blank-holder and the roller-holder in a direc- Ytion endwise of the blank.

l0. A machine for grooving tap-blanks comprising a main frame, a plurality of groovingrollers mounted thereon, a reciprocating blank-holder also mounted on the frame and a guide movable on the frame in a direction endwise of the blank, said guide comprising two parts which are separable from each other to permit the insertion and removal of the blank.

11. A machine forgrooving tap-blanks comprising a machine-frame, a plurality of grooving-rollers arranged in radial planes and which are adjustable radially upon the machine-frame, and a blank-holder adapted to reciprocate on the frame toward and away from the grooving-rollers, said blank-holder being provided with clamping means for holding the blank.

12. Amachineforgroovingtap-blankscomprising a machine-frame, a plurality of grooving-rollers arranged in radial planes and which are adjustable radially upon the machine-frame, a blank-holder adapted to reciprocate on the frame toward and away from the grooving-rollers and provided with clamping means for holding a blank and a guide for the blank provided with radially-adj ustable centering-guide bars adapted for contact at their inner ends withthe blank, said guide being movable on the frame between the grooving-rollers and the blank-holder in a direction endwise of the blank.

13. A machine for grooving tap-blanks comprising a frame, a plurality of grooving-rollers mounted in radial planes upon the frame, a blank-holder movable on the frame, a guide for the blank movable on the machine-frame between the blank-holder andthe groovingrollers, and means for shifting said guide upon the frame toward and from the grooving-rollers.

14. A machine for the purpose stated comprising a frame, a plurality of grooving-rollers mounted in radial planes upon the frame, a blank-holder movable on the frame, a guide for the blank mounted on the machine-frame between the blank-holder and the groovingrollers, and movable toward and from said grooving-rollers, and means for shifting said guide upon the frame, embracing a foot-lever and connections between said foot-lever and the said guide.

15. A machine for grooving tap-blanks comprising a machine-frame, a plurality of grooving-rollers arranged in radial planes on the machine-frame, a blank-holder movable on the machine-frame, a guide mounted on the machine-frame between the blank-holder and the grooving-rollers and movable toward and from said grooving-rollers, a rock-shaft in the machine frame below the said guide, said rock-shaft being provided with a rigid arm engaging the said guide, and a foot-lever connected with and actuating said rock-shaft.

16. A machine for grooving tap-blanks comprising a in achine-frame, a plurality of grooving-rollers arranged in radial planes mounted on the machine-frame, a reciprocating blankholder a guide for the blank movable on the machine-frame between the blank-holder and IOR IIO

lehe growing-rollers, a Weight or equivalent my invention I affix my sgnature,in presence means acting,r on the guide and tending to of two witnesses, this 14th day of June, A. D. hold the same in its position remote from the 1901.

growing-rollers, and means for throwing the FREDERICK N. GARDNER. 5 said guide toward the said greening-rollers Vit'nesses:

against the action of said Weight. J. C. ROOD,

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as MILAN NORTHROP. 

